Growing Up
by the bean25
Summary: There's a new female tech in the lab in NYC.  Flack, Danny, Lindsay, OCs.  Long oneshot story.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own any CSI: NY characters. The original characters are mine including the lab tech.

Summary: There's a new tech in the lab. Can she be resisted by the men in the lab?

Chapter 1

Jenna walked out of the elevator and headed to Mac's office. She knocked lightly on the glass door causing Mac to look of. He motioned her in and she entered the room.

"You're Jenna Landers?" he asked while he made his way around his desk.

"Yes, sir that's me," she replied and smiled.

"How was your trip from Philly?"

"Ah, it was alright. I'm still trying to get settled here."

"Did you find an apartment yet?"

"Yeah, I found one in Brooklyn. It's a cute little place," she answered.

"Well, I'll show you to your station and get you settled in," Mac started out of the office and Jenna followed.

They were in the hallway when Danny came up to them. He started to tell Mac about the case they were working on. They talked without acknowledging Jenna.

While Mac was looking at the paperwork Danny had handed him Danny looked at Jenna. "I'm Jenna, by the way," she told him and held out her hand.

"Oh, sorry," Mac started. "Jenna Landers, Danny Messer."

"Nice to meet you. Are you our new lab tech?" Danny asked her.

"Yeah, I'm the new lab rat," she smiled.

"Welcome to the place that will be your second home," he told her.

"Alright, Danny let me show Jenna where to go then I'll get back to you about this." Mac told the younger man, who walked away. Then they continued to the lab.

Mac showed Jenna her station in the DNA lab. He introduced her to a couple other lab techs in the area. Then she followed him to the locker room where she could put her things.

"Well, I've got some evidence to look at. Again, welcome and let me know if you need anything." Mac walked away, leaving her alone in the locker room.

Jenna put her purse and jacket in a locker. She sat down on the bench for a second and stared at the floor. She had driven almost all day the day before and had tried to unpack some of the things she unloaded into her apartment, she was tired. However, now she had to be on, she was starting her new job.

"Hey," she heard a female voice behind her.

She looked up to her left and saw a girl with short brown hair. "Hey," Jenna replied.

"I'm Lindsay, are you new?"

"Yeah, today's my first day. I'm working DNA. I'm Jenna." She put out her hand and Lindsay took it. "It's nice to meet you," she told her.

"I've got to get to a crime scene. Good luck with your first day."

Jenna closed her locker and made her way out of the locker room and to work. She passed quite a few people who would just look at her and smile. When she returned to her station she was approached by another woman. She gave her some samples to process, and who was on the case. She showed her where everything was in the area and told her if she had any questions she could ask.

After Jenna finished with the samples she had a woman with curly hair approached her.

"Hey, I'm Stella," she told him.

"I'm Jenna, and I have your DNA samples finished," she handed Stella the report. "The first sample is from the bottle of water you found, there were no hits in CODIS but it does have common low-signs with your victim. The other sample is from under your vic's fingernails and it's male, but no hit in CODIS and isn't the same as the water bottle," Jenna told her.

"Well, this is helpful. Thanks Jenna and welcome to the lab."

Jenna smiled. "Thanks."

A couple hours later Jenna was sitting in the break room. She was on the couch with a book in her hands. It was an informational book, however; something she needed to read for research. Danny walked in and there was a tall dark-haired buy with him. She listened as they talked about their case. She was looking over her book at them, but then looked back down when they looked at her.

"Jenna," she heard Danny say.

"Yes," she didn't look up right away.

"Did you work on my DNA samples?" he asked and sat down across from her.

"I did."

"And?"

"I got a hit in CODIS, but I _am_ on a break right now," she looked up. "Can it…" he was giving her a look. "Ok," she put down her back and grabbed the folder next to her. She opened it. "It came back to an Alexandra Badillo. She's got an assault charge and a B and E charge."

"Great," Danny responded.

"Didn't we interview an Alexandra, she's the girlfriend, right?" the other guy asked.

"Yeah, we did," Danny replied and stood up.

"Danny, does your buddy here have a name?" Jenna asked and laughed.

"He's got no manners. I'm Detective Don Flack," he reached his hand out to her and she took it. "Welcome to the lab, I'm sorry you have to work with Danny, he's a pain in the ass."

She started to laugh. "I can tell already."

"Hey, I haven't done anything to you," Danny told Jenna.

"I know, but I have a good sense about these kinds of things."

"Oh, I like her," Flack said.

The two guys gave their parting comments and left the room. Jenna picked up her book and her soda can from the table and headed back to the lab. There were already a couple of samples waiting for her when she was putting her lab coat on. She sat down and began to work on the samples.

As it got later and later she was sitting alone in the lab. It was mostly dark in the rooms around her. Jenna looked through the windows and across the hallway where the light was still on in Mac's office.

"You still here," Danny asked as he peeked in the lab.

"Yeah, I'm just getting ready to leave. I was reading up on some stuff. Are you out of here?" she responded.

"Yeah, I'm heading out."

"Hey, does Mac ever leave?"

Danny glanced over at Mac's office. "He's pretty dedicated." Jenna noticed Flack coming toward the room they were in.

"Messer, you don't answer your phone?" he asked Danny more sarcastic than stern.

"It died, what's up?"

"I was just tryin' to get a hold of you. You wanna go grab a drink?"

"Yeah, sounds good." He turned to Jenna. "You up for a drink?"

"You know I have about five piles of boxes in my closet of an apartment. But a drink sounds pretty good." She smiled and stood from the stool. "Let me go get my stuff, I'll meet you by the elevator."

Jenna made her way to the locker room. She took her purse and jacket from her locker. She put her jacket on as she walked and pulled her brown hair out from underneath the collar.

"So," she started as she walked toward the two guys. "You do realize you're taking me to my first New York bar, restaurant, pub, or anything, so you better make it a good one."

"We're going to the regular spot. I think you'll like it." Danny told her as they waited for the elevator.

The three of them walked into the parking garage where Jenna had parked. She offered to drive and the guys accepted. They approached Jenna's truck.

"A truck?" Flack asked her.

"Yeah, all the girls have them back home," she told them and smiled. She pushed the button on the keyless entry.

"Where'd you come from again?"

"I was working for the Philly PD but I was born and raised in the country in PA. What can I say once a country, always a country girl." Jenna got in the driver's seat, Danny in the passenger and Flack in the back.

"Country girl? Like country music and 'hoe downs'?" Danny asked her.

Jenna started to laugh. "Uh, not really. Just an out-in-the-middle-of-nowhere kind of country girl." She asked the guys where they were going and Danny gave her some directions.

When they got to the bar Jenna followed Flack with Danny behind her. They made their way up to the bar and the guys yelled out their orders as they were sitting down. Jenna asked for a beer and sat on a stool next to Flack; Danny on the other side of him.

"So, country girl how do you like the big city?" Flack inquired.

"I've seen the route to my apartment and the route from my apartment to the lab, but I like it so far," she took a sip from the beer set in front of her.

"Well, there's gotta be something to see from there to the lab."

"Oh, yeah I'm sure there's plenty to see. Some day I'll have my apartment in order and I'll be able to see all of it."

"You guys wanna play pool?" Danny asked them.

"Yeah, is there an open table?" Flack replied.

"I think, let me check." Danny got up at went to the back of the bar.

"You play pool?" Flack asked Jenna.

"Yeah my oldest brother and sister-in-law have one, I played quite a bit," she answered and saw Danny motioning to them. They picked up their drinks and went over to him.

They played a game of "cut throat." Jenna won the first game, and the guys were impressed. Danny won the second game and Flack was not taking his multiple defeats well. But the third game was his. By the time the third game was done it was late and the three of them decided it was time to call it a night.

Danny said his goodbyes and made his way to the subway. Jenna looked at her watch while she and Flack stood on the sidewalk.

"Oh, I better get home and feed my guard dog. You need a ride?" she asked him as they started to her truck.

"Where you going?"

"Brooklyn. Are you on the way or close by?"

He laughed. "Brooklyn's not small, you got a specific area?"

She gave him the cross streets and he told her his apartment was close by, so he accepted the ride she had offered.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Did it get a hit in CODIS?" Lindsay asked Jenna as they stood in the lab.

"Yes, it matched a Carl James. He did time for possession with an intent to sell, and assault with a deadly weapon. So, does it help?" Jenna watched Lindsay as she contemplated.

"Maybe," Lindsay replied. "Thanks. Hey, so how did it go last night with the guys?"

"How'd you know I went out with the guys?" Jenna gave her a confused look.

"Uh, me and Danny, we- "

"Ooh, ok I got it now," Jenna smiled and sat down. "I had fun." Jenna looked away.

"Is there something else?"

"What do you know…what's the deal with Flack?"

"Oh," Lindsay sat down on a stool next to Jenna. "He's a nice guy. He's really passionate about what he does. No girlfriend, I don't think. He's pretty cute, a good choice I have to say."

Jenna laughed. "Yeah, yeah. It was just a thought. I need to get settled before I even think about a boyfriend." She leaned over to Lindsay. "But thanks for the info."

"No problem, keep me posted." Lindsay stood up and left the room.

It was another long day. Jenna had her share of tough days in the lab in Philadelphia but it seemed like the past couple days were like some of the worst she'd had. She was tired and she still needed to unpack. Her poor dog was probably missing her and struggling to get used to her new environment. Jenna again was one of the last ones to leave the lab. She assumed it was because she was the new girl that the CSIs had loaded on the work.

It was close to 12:30 when Jenna heard the knock on her door. She threw on a sweatshirt, pulled her hair up, and put on her glasses. When she looked through the peephole she shook her head. She opened it.

"Oh look it's the Butabi brothers," Jenna commented half-asleep.

"The what?" Danny asked her.

"Haven't you ever seen 'A Night at the Roxbury'?" she asked.

"No," Flack told her.

"So, what are you doing at my apartment waking me up in the middle of the night?" she yawned.

"We've got a DOA downstairs, did you hear anything?"

"No, when did this happen?"

"Just a couple hours ago. The neighbor called in a disturbance and the responding officers found a guy stabbed in his apartment."

Jenna shook her head. "I didn't hear anything. I came home and passed out after work."

"We can see that. Glasses, pink pajama pants, and a Penn State sweatshirt very nice." Danny bantered.

"You know, Danny don't make fun of my wardrobe, you're the ones who woke me up."

"Sorry, Jenna. We'll see you tomorrow, ok?" Flack told her.

"Alright," she started to close the door and they started down the hall. "Hey, should I be worried about being safe living here?"

Flack looked at Danny. "Honestly, you're not really safe in any part of the city."

"Come on, can I have something a little more positive?"

He smirked. "You're alright Jenna, don't worry about it."

She yawned again. "Ok, goodnight guys. Have fun."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Jenna finally had the next day off to finish unpacking. She made a place for everything in the kitchen. She filled the bookshelf in the living room with various books and pictures. The television she had brought with her was small but it served its purpose. The only piece of furniture she had besides the bookshelf was her bed. She had a bean bag chair in the living room with her TV on a plastic container and no dining table.

When she was done she looked around the small apartment and laughed at the dismal furnishings. She was definitely going shopping for furniture the first chance she got. It was close to dinner time, but Jenna hadn't done any grocery shopping. She put on a pair of jeans and tennis shoes to leave. There was a knock at the door and her dog barked.

"Who is it?" Jenna asked as she approached the door.

"The cooler, taller Butabi brother," the man answered.

Jenna looked through the peephole then opened the door. "Detective Flack, might I ask what you are doing at my door?" She didn't let him answer. "Wait, did someone else die in my building?"

He laughed. "No," he looked down then back up at her. "Actually I just got done working and I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go grab some dinner."

"My first dinner out in New York City, and with a nice guy, how can I resist?" she replied.

He smiled. "Can I come in and wait while you change?"

He came in and she looked down at her attire. "Are we going somewhere nice? What's wrong with jeans and a t-shirt?"

"Well, I guess…"

"I was kidding. I'll just be a minute."

Flack stood in the living room while she went to the bedroom. He looked around at the small amount of furniture. "You didn't bring much with you, huh?"

"No, I sold a lot, but I brought the essentials; a bookcase and my bed, those are pretty important," she yelled from the bedroom.

He laughed. "Yeah that's important. You done yet, I'm starving?"

"I'm coming, I'm coming. Too many flippin' choices." Finally she walked toward him, putting up her hair. She had on a cream-colored turtleneck sweater and jeans. She grabbed a pair of boots from the living room floor. "Alright, Impatient, let's go."

"Not that the jeans and t-shirt were bad, but this is better," he told her as he opened the door for her.

"Well, thanks. So, what's for dinner?"

"Well, if you don't like Italian, you can go back to Philly," he responded.

"You're in luck, it's my favorite."

They took Jenna's truck to the restaurant. It was a small family-run place. Jenna was impressed when the woman at the counter greeted Flack by name. They were sat at a small table with a single lit candle in the middle.

As they sat they drank wine and talked about different things. She told him all about growing up in the country. He told her about growing up in the big city. Jenna talked about her brothers and sister.

"I have an older brother and a younger sister," he told her.

"That poor girl," Jenna told him. "She probably had a hard time with two older brothers."

"We're protective, especially after I became a cop. My dad was a cop and my brother is a fireman." He took a sip of his wine. "What about your older brother? Was he protective?"

"My older brother was good for having good-looking friends for my sister and I to date. We did it just to piss him off."

"Nice. Is it a younger sister thing because my sister did the same thing?"

"We can't help it. It's just too tempting. Girls always go for the older guys anyway. My baby brother just tried too get with my friends and they just laughed at him." She shook her head. "He's funny. He's in his third year of college. He's going to be a high school gym teacher, today at least. He may change his mind tomorrow."

"What about nieces and nephews?"

"I have two nieces and one nephew. My brother has girls and my sister has a boy. What about you?"

"My brother has twin boys. My sister just got married a couple years ago, no kids yet."

It was close to nine by the time Jenna suggested they leave. As they walked toward where the truck was parked she noticed an ice cream shop and asked to stop. He laughed and reminded her it was freezing outside. Jenna told him she didn't care and that she needed something sweet.

They sat in the small shop. It started to snow and they watched it fall. Jenna pulled her coat close as they walked outside. When they got to her truck Flack stopped before they got in.

"Can I drive?" he inquired.

Jenna looked at the keys in her hands then back up at him. "Uh, I don't know," she looked at the truck. "I guess." She tossed him the keys and they switched places. "Just don't crash us," he looked at her and she laughed.

When they got back to her apartment her small dog greeted them at the door. She kissed Flack on the cheek, thanked him, and they said their goodbyes.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Stella, you're pacing. This might take me a little while, don't you have something else to do?" Jenna asked her.

"This is important I can wait here," Stella told her and she sat down.

Jenna started to take the semen from the condom Stella had brought her from her crime scene. Danny walked in the room.

"Danny, your sample didn't get a hit in CODIS." She reached over and grabbed a folder. "Here's the report," she handed it to him.

He flipped it open. "Well, thanks for nothing," he told her.

"I'm doing my job, Messer, I giver results not miracles," she replied.

Danny left the room. Jenna continued with the sample she had from Stella. When she gave Stella the news she didn't want to hear, Stella was upset. Like Danny, Stella gave a sarcastic, aggravated "thank you." It seemed to be a pattern with the CSIs that day. Mac and Lindsay were disappointed with the results they got as well.

Later that evening Jenna was in the locker room getting her things from her locker. She turned around when she heard someone behind her.

"Hey," she said. "Are you here to be mean to me like everyone else?"

"What?" Flack asked and leaned against the door frame.

Jenna put on her jacket and put her purse on her shoulder. "All the CSIs were PMS-ing today I guess because they all got bent out of shape about the results I gave them."

"Well maybe I can make it better. How about some dinner with some good company?" he smiled.

"I was actually planning some furniture shopping. Some kind of retail therapy I guess for a day of being the hated lab rat."

"I'm sorry you had a bad day," he said and she came over to him. "You want some company?"

"I kind of just want to do it by myself." She walked past him and started down the hallway.

"Hey, it's not always like this."

"I know, I'm taking it personal I'm just tired and I need to get some furniture badly," she smiled. "I'll definitely take a rain check on dinner, though."

"I'll hold you to that," he told her and he watched her as she walked away.

Jenna approached the elevator and heard someone behind her say her name. She turned and saw Mac coming toward her.

"Great," she mumbled to herself.

"Jenna sorry about earlier. I heard everyone else was pretty rude to you too. We all get a little uptight sometimes."

"Mac, don't worry about it. I'm not taking it personally. We all have our good days and bad days."

"Well I just wanted to make sure everything was ok."

"Yeah don't worry about me, I'm as tough as nails," she smiled and he returned the gesture then walked away.

The next day Jenna was in early, even though she had been up late rearranging furniture. She walked into the lab where a few other people already were. She started on the sample that was handed to her. Danny walked in and sat on a stool on the side of the table she was at.

"Hey Danny, how's it going? You look tired," Jenna greeted.

"Yeah I got a call around three so I didn't get much sleep," he paused. "Hey I wanted to apologize for being a jerk yesterday. I heard I wasn't the only one."

"You know, don't worry about it. I didn't take it personal. It kind of sucked because I couldn't give anyone the results they wanted."

"Well, I just wanted to say sorry," he got up and gave her a smile.

Jenna was steaming by the time Danny left the room. She couldn't believe Flack had told him to apologize to her. It wasn't a big deal, he had no reason to try and protect her.

Minutes later Flack walked into the room. He walked over to her and she got up to the other side of the room. He followed her.

"Hey do you wanna go grab some lunch? Just to the corner deli, nothing fancy," he asked.

"I have a lot of work to do," she replied in a not-so-pleasant tone.

"Can't you just take a short break?"

"No, I can't," she retorted.

He looked at her, confused. "Is something wrong? Did I do something?"

Now she looked up at him from her paperwork. He still looked stunned at her demeanor. "I need to talk to you. Come with me," she led him out to the hallway then to an area away from others. She looked around for co-workers close by not wanting to argue in front of anyone. "What did you say to Danny?"

He still had a confused look. "About what?"

"Last night and me being upset about how he and everyone else treated me. He came up and apologized and I felt like an idiot," she told him sternly.

"Jenna, I haven't talked to Danny all day."

"Fine, don't own up to it," she walked past him then stopped and turned to look at him. "Just so you know I don't need someone to take care of me." She left the room leaving him standing there in utter shock and confusion.

A couple hours later Danny was by her again; they were in the break room. She gave him results from the sample he had given her. He seemed pleased with the results.

"Hey, I don't know what Flack told you about yesterday but I really wasn't that upset about everyone being stern with me. I'm not really that sensitive." She told Danny before he could walk out of the room.

Danny looked confused. "I haven't talked to Flack, it was Mac who told me I should apologize."

Jenna looked at him for a second then looked down. "Oh crap."

"You thought it was Flack? Did you say something to him?"

"Yeah and I might not have been very nice," Jenna admitted.

Danny shook his head then put his hand on her shoulder. "Next time try not to assume." He left the room.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

When Jenna was done working she got her things from her locker and headed to Flack's precinct. He was sitting at his desk, leaned over a stack of papers. She sat down in the chair next to his desk. He glanced over at her then looked back down.

"Can I talk to you for a second?" she asked quietly.

"Are you sure you're gonna talk, and not yell?" he asked as he kept his eyes down.

"Listen this is hard for me to do so if you're going to patronize me I'll leave."

He looked up at her. "I'm sorry. What did you want to say?" he asked sincerely.

"I wanted to apologize I wasn't very nice earlier and I shouldn't have assumed that it was you who said something to Danny. And when I talked to him and made a fool of myself again I found out it wasn't you that said something but it was Mac. So, as torturous as it is for me to say: I'm sorry."

He smiled. "That was hard for you, wasn't it?"

She smirked. "Yes, it was."

"Well, apology accepted," he smiled again, making her smile. "Why is it you don't want someone protecting you? I thought every girl wanted a guy to protect her."

"I'm still a girl trying to hold on to her independence. My family has tried to protect me my whole life."

He turned his chair toward her and leaned back. "How so?"

She looked around the room, wondering if they were really going to have that conversation there. There were only three other detectives there on the on the other side of the room. She deemed it safe. "Well soon after my little brother was born my parents got divorced and we lived with me dad. My mom was having problems; she was drinking heavy and she had to go to rehab. My youngest brother was real little so he never went to see her and my dad tried to protect us and keep us from going but I would go every chance I got," she paused. "When I was in high school I asked her to get custody of me and she did, so I went to live with her even though my dad and my step-mom tried like hell to get me to stay with them. We moved to Philadelphia when I was finished with high school. My dad was so scared for me; he called me every day to check on me." She laughed. "Any boyfriend I've ever had has had to be approved by every member of my family."

"So, you and your mom are really close, then?"

"Yeah, she's my best friend. I lived with her the whole time I was in Philly. I know I'm too old to be living with her but she was alone and I was alone so it worked for us."

"Well, I'm sorry if you thought I was trying to protect you, even though I didn't say anything."

"I'm just going to be straight up with you, sometimes I can be a bitch. And most of the time I'm stubborn. But I'm sure you can be too."

"Yeah, I have my moments," he smirked. "It's my mom's fault."

"You don't have to actually blame someone."

He laughed then leaned toward her. "You know I really wish there was no one else around because I could kiss you right now," he said quietly.

"Let's just go get a drink then maybe we'll talk about kissing," she said then stood up.

"Alright, a drink it is then." He stood and took his jacket from the back of his chair. He let her lead the way out as he said goodnight to the other detectives.

They were sitting at the same bar they had a few night before. Their stools were closer today. He was telling her funny stories about the CSIs they worked with. She laughed when he told her about Danny's chasing Lindsay. And about the many times female suspects had tried to "hit on" him and the other guys. She tried not to laugh when he was being serious about all the times he had to chase a suspect and end up falling or getting hit.

"One of my favorite times helping out one of them was when this one girl Aiden let me try out all these motorcycles…" he began to trail off. He looked at Henna's expression. "Are you ok?" he asked.

"Not really. There's a guy coming over-just let me handle this."

Flack didn't turn; he just watched her and waited for the guy to come into his field of vision.

"Well, look who it is. The best-lookin' lab rat in all of Philly, here in the Big Apple," the guy said as he approached. He was shorter then Flack with dark brown hair and brown eyes.

"Hey Eddie," Jenna said and tried to force a smile.

"We date for more than a year and I don't get even a hug," he replied.

"Eddie, can't you seen I'm kind of with someone, right now?"

"Oh, I get it." He turned to Flack and stuck out his hand. "How you doin'? Officer Eddie Stone."

Flack shook his hand. "Detective Flack."

Eddie turned to Jenna. "Ah, movin' up the food chain. Well when you wanna get back with a real man, let me know."

Jenna shook her head and turned to her drink. "Eddie, get lost."

He took her arm. "You'll come crawling back, you'll see."

Flack stood up next to the other man. "She said take a hike."

Eddie let go of her arm and looked at Flack. "Fine," he looked at Jenna. "I'll see you soon beautiful." Eddie stared at Flack as he turned and walked away.

"What the hell was that all about?" Flack asked Jenna who kept her eyes on her drink.

"Can we just go?" she gulped down the last of her drink then looked at Flack. "I'll explain it to you, I promise. Can we just go?"

"Yeah, just let me get the check."

"Alright I'm gonna head outside." She stood up and made her way through the people to the door. There was a small group outside the door, and a couple by the curb.

Flack walked up to her and put his arm around her. "Are you ok?"

She smiled up at him. "Yeah, I'm fine."

They started to walk but stopped when they heard someone yell for Flack behind them. Eddie walked up to them with three other guys behind him. He pushed Flack at the shoulders. "Where do you get off telling me what to do, huh?"

Jenna tried to get in the middle as the two men pushed back and forth. "Eddie, stop it."

Eddie pushed Jenna to the side. Now Flack was pissed. "What the hell's your problem, man?"

"You're my problem," Eddie replied and punched Flack in the nose. Just when Flack was ready to retaliate when Danny pulled Flack from the other guy. The other guys that were with Eddie pulled him back as well.

"That'll teach you to tell me what to do," Eddie yelled as his friends pulled him down the sidewalk.

"Don, are you ok?" Jenna, Danny, and Lindsay were all in front of him asking the same question. There was a lot of blood coming from his nose. Jenna pulled some tissues from her purse. "Here," she handed them to him. "Lean your head back."

"What the hell was that about?" Danny asked Jenna.

"A stupid ex-boyfriend. He moved here last year. We dated for a while and I broke up with him. I guess he still thinks I'm his, I don't know," she replied; she took Flack's arm. "I'm gonna take him home."

Danny and Lindsay backed away. "Alright, get better Mike Tyson," Danny told Flack.

"Thanks Danny," was Flack's mumbled reply.

Jenna had her left arm around his waist and he had his arm around her shoulders. She had to walk him along the sidewalk to the car.

She started to laugh. "I've never had a guy get in a fight over me," she told him.

"Yeah, I haven't fought over a girl since high school, and this turned out worse."

"Well at least I know now you're willing to fight for me," she smiled up at him and he tried to smile back.

She drove to Flack's apartment. When they got to the door she took the keys from his hand and unlocked the door. When inside she led him over to the couch and he plopped down. Jenna went to the kitchen and searched the freezer for something to give Flack to put on his face. She grabbed a bag of frozen peas.

He was lying down when she handed it to him. He laid it on the left side of his face. "Do you have any aspirin or some kind of pain killer?" she asked him.

"Medicine cabinet," he mumbled.

Jenna went into the bathroom and opened the cabinet. She grabbed a bottle of aspirin and took out three. Then she got a glass of water from the kitchen and brought both to him. He sat up long enough to swallow the pills with some water then he fell back down.

Jenna set the glass down on the coffee table then sat herself on the edge of the couch. "Now I'm the one that has reason to kiss you," she smiled.

"That might help make the pain go away," he said and pulled away the frozen bag.

Jenna laughed and leaned down to kiss him. She tried to be gentle. "Did that help?" she asked as they parted.

"Yes, you are the best nurse ever."

She looked at the clock on the wall. "It's getting late I should go." She stood up but stopped when he grabbed her hand.

"Don't go," he stated. "I need a good nurse to get me better."

"You have a black eye, and a busted nose, not some disease."

"Well then will you just stay, to stay?"

"Alright," she sat back down. Flack situated so he was laying on his left side and the bag of peas was under his head. Jenna laid down next to him. She looked into his one uncovered eye and laughed. "Why are we laying here all scrunched when there's a bed in the other room?"

"Well, I didn't know if you wanted to go that far, but we can go lay in there."

"I wasn't meaning anything like that. How about for comfort purposes, not fornication purposes?" She started to laugh and got up from the couch.

Flack followed her to the bedroom. He threw the peas on the bed and opened the dresser; he pulled out a couple pairs of basketball shorts and threw a pair to her. She took them and went to the bathroom to change. When she came back he was laying in the bed with the bag of peas on his face and he looked asleep. Jenna turned off the light and crawled into the bed. She nestled her way up behind him. She wrapped her arm around his waist and he put his hand on hers. A few minutes later they were both fast asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

In the morning Flack woke up and rolled over expecting to come face to face with Jenna, instead he saw nothing but blankets and a pillow. He put his hand on the spot where she had been; it was still warm. Suddenly the pain in his face sprang to life and it started to throb. He sat up and threw the blankets off of him. As he opened the door her could see into the kitchen; Jenna was standing there in the same clothes she had slept in. He laughed at how long and big the shorts looked on her. He leaned against the door frame and crossed his arms; he watched her as she sang along to the radio and made coffee.

Finally, he started toward the kitchen. She had her back to him as he approached. He poked her in the sides and she jumped.

She smacked his arm. "You scared me, geez," she said.

"Sorry, you were an easy target," he leaned down and kissed her. "Those are some sexy shorts you have on there."

She looked down and smiled. "Thanks, I like 'em," she looked back up at him and winced. "That's a sexy bruise you got there," she reached up to touch his face gently. "You should go take a look at that."

He started toward the bathroom. He looked in the mirror above the sink. "Oh my god," she heard him say. His eye lid, socket, and nose were different shades of red and purple.

When he came out Jenna was smiling. "It's not that bad, I guess," she told him.

"Yeah sure, you don't have to lie. The worst part is everyone is gonna ask _how many _guys beat me up and I have to say one. But I can file a complaint for hitting a superior officer."

"Ooh, I like that. We could put some make-up on your eye then no one would know," she laughed. She poured him a cup of coffee and handed it to him. She got one for herself then hopped up to sit on the counter.

"Yeah, let's just start more than one rumor while we're at it."

"Ok, so what time do you have to go in?"

Flack looked at the microwave clock that said it was a quarter after seven. "About nine, or just whenever they call me to a scene, which could be any time."

"That means we have time."

"Time for?" he gave her a confused look.

She bit her lip then smiled. She grabbed the front of his wife beater and pulled him over to her. He was standing in between her legs.

He was smiling from ear to ear. He put his hands on either side of her legs on the counter. His face was inches away from hers. "Time for what, Miss Jenna? What's going on in your head?"

"You know what's going on, don't act naïve." Jenna kissed him and wrapped her arms around his neck. She kissed him again and again. She put her hand on the back of his head and let her fingers intertwine in his hair. He started to kiss her neck and put his right hand up her shirt. He brought his head back up to hers and kissed her again; their tongues met and played around in each other's mouth. He put his hand on her waist and hoisted her down from the counter. They were still kissing as they tried to walk to the bedroom. They stopped every once in a while in the hallway and leaned against the wall to kiss.

In the bedroom the sunlight was coming through the window lighting up the room. Jenna fell down onto the side of the bed and scooted back to the pillow. Flack pulled off her shirt, revealing the small tattoo on her stomach.

"What's this?" he smiled up at her.

"Uh, something I got done a while ago. The biggest star is for my brother, then my sister, then me, then my baby brother."

"Ok," he started his kissing again. He pulled off her shorts, and then she pulled of his shirt and shorts. It continued from there and finished with the two of them laying in the bed wearing nothing but the sheets.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

A few days later Jenna was in the break room eating her small lunch. Her cell phone rang. She looked at the called ID and smiled.

"What up Goob?" she greeted. It was her baby brother calling.

"Why do you still call me that?"

"Because Evan, you're Goober forever. So, what's up?"

"My Winter break starts next week and I wanted to know if you'd let me come visit for a few days. I wanna bring some friends, too."

"Yeah, that would be awesome. Who do you want to bring?"

"Matt and Aaron."

"Uh, geez, I'm gonna have the retard triplets in my place." She laughed and noticed Sheldon and Flack come in the room.

"Hey, come on now. So, we can stay?"

"Yeah, how long are you going to be here?"

"Four or five days, over the weekend."

"Alright just give me the dates some time. Are you gonna drive?"

"Yeah, well I got to get to class. I'll talk to you soon, I love you."

"I love you too. Tell everybody I said hi." Jenna closed her phone then laid it back down. Flack was sitting in front of her at the table. She gathered her leftover food. "That was my baby brother, Evan. He wants to come and visit with some friends."

"That's cool. Is he coming by himself?"

"No, he's bringing some friends. So, I get to have three 21 year-old guys in my apartment for a few days."

"That sounds fun," he smirked. "But I'm sure you'll be glad to see him anyway." He leaned across the table and she leaned forward to. "You can always come and stay with me," he whispered and winked at her.

"I may take you up on that," she told him quietly.

He wanted to kiss her, but resisted because of the setting they were. His phone rang and he looked at the text message. He told her he had to go and he left the room.

A week later Jenna, Flack, Danny, Lindsay and Stella were all at "Cozy's" watching Mac play with the band. They were all sitting at a tall table close to the stage. Flack was holding Jenna's hand under the table. She felt her phone vibrate and looked at the caller ID. "I'll be right back," she told Flack and got up from the table.

Jenna pressed the send button as she walked and told Evan to "hang on" until she got outside. "Hey, where are you?" she asked as she stepped outside the door. He had called when he and his friends had started on their way to New York.

"We're coming into the city. Are you at your apartment?" he replied.

"No, I'm at a club watching a friend play. Can you guys come here?"

"Yeah, I got a GPS so give me the address."

Jenna told him the name and address of the club they were at. They said their goodbyes and went back into the club. She sat down next to Flack and he looked at her. She leaned over and said into his ear, "it was Evan; he's coming here with his friends. They should be here soon."

It was a while later when Jenna heard someone say in her ear: "hey good-lookin'."

Jenna flipped around quickly and wrapped her arms around her baby brother. She hugged the other guys as well. She tapped Flack on the shoulder and he turned around then stood up. The music died down, making it easier to talk. "Don, this is my baby brother Evan and his friends Matt and Aaron." All the guys shook hands. Then Jenna looked at the rest of her friends. "Danny, Lindsay, Stella this is my brother Evan and his friends Matt and Aaron." They shook hands with Danny then said hello to the girls.

"So, how was your trip?" Flack asked the guys.

"It was good. It was long and I think we all got a little cabin fever," Evan replied and laughed.

"Yeah I was about ready to kick Aaron out of the car if he didn't stop singing to the radio," Matt added. Aaron hit him in the arm.

Jenna was all smiles as she watched her brother interact with her friends. It seemed that Evan was actually growing up; he could actually have an adult conversation with people. After a couple more songs Jenna decided they should probably head to her apartment since it was getting late. Flack offered to walk them outside.

As they walked down the sidewalk Flack put his hand in Jenna's. The other guys were walking in front of them. She saw Evan look over his shoulder at her and Flack. Jenna smiled and put her head on Flack's shoulder; Evan smiled back at her. They got to Evan's car first, and the guys said they would meet her at her apartment. At Jenna's truck, Flack leaned down and kissed her then he said goodnight.

Jenna unlocked the door and the guys went inside with her. They had their duffel bags on their shoulders and sleeping bags under their arms. She watched the guys throw their stuff down in the living room. She went to the kitchen and looked in the refrigerator for some kind of snack. The guys came in the kitchen.

"Do you have anything to drink? Like a beer or something?" Evan asked.

"Uh, I think," Jenna searched the refrigerator again. She pulled out a few beers and handed them to the guys. She hopped up onto the counter. "So, I have some ground rules," she started and the guys rolled their eyes. "No eye-rolling. The first one is no girls in my apartment, you're big boys if you wanna go get-it-on with some random girl, do it at her place. Second no partying if I'm not home. Three, please just be careful this is a big city. Don't be thinking you're superman and you're invincible."

"Is that it mom?" Aaron replied and laughed.

"Hey, I'll treat all of you like my little brother I don't care. And if you don't like my rules then you can go home." She was pointing her finger at him but they knew she was messing around, but that she meant her rules.

Matt and Aaron went into the other room to watch TV. Evan leaned against the counter with his beer. "So, what's the deal with that Don guy?" he took a sip of his beer.

Jenna smiled and looked down. "He's, uh, I guess my boyfriend. We've been seeing each other pretty much since I moved here."

"What does he do?"

"He's a detective, homicide. We work together in a way; he works with the CSIs who work with me," she looked at her brother and squinted at him. "Don't look at me like that."

"Well, I only talked to him for a little while, but he seems cool," he smiled at his big sister.

"You'd like him. He's a good guy." She got down from the counter and stood next to her brother, who was a good six inches taller than her.

"Does he treat you good?"

She smiled. "Yeah, he really does. You're so funny."

"I'm doing my job as your brother, even though I'm not your big brother I can still look out for you."

Jenna put her arm around his waist and he put his arm on her shoulders. "You're growing up, Evan."

"I have grown up."

"Listen it takes forever for people to grow up. I'm still getting there," she ruffled his hair. "I remember when you were just a little guy and you were such a brat. And you three," she motioned to the living room, "were inseparable."

"Yeah I think we're all attached for life," he smirked.

Her phone rang on the counter. She reached over and grabbed it then pushed the send button. "Hey, handsome," she answered. Evan looked at her and rolled his eyes. "So, what are you up to?"

"I just left a scene, actually. I got a call about a scene up in Harlem. It's gonna be a long night. I miss you already."

Jenna smiled and walked out of the kitchen. "I miss you. Evan was asking me all kinds of questions about you. He's so funny, trying to play big brother." She was in her room now and closed the door. "He said he didn't know you well, but he said he thinks you're a good guy."

"Yes, I made it in with the baby brother."

She was lying on the bed staring at the ceiling. "All part of your evil plan, huh?"

"Yes it is. So, I think that you should come to my apartment and wait for me to come home."

"That sounds good and all but I think I should stay here with the boys tonight. We'll some time together, or maybe we need to be apart…making you want it more." They both laughed.

"No, no that would be unfair."

Jenna looked back at the clock on the night stand and she sat up. "Hey, I'm really tired. Can we talk tomorrow?"

"Come on I need you to keep me awake."

"I'm just as tired. Go get some coffee."

"Alright, well goodnight and I won't say sleep tight because you won't without me," he laughed.

"Don't be a butthead. Goodnight."

Jenna pushed the end button and got up from the bed. She went out to the living room where the three guys were all sitting watching TV. They all looked exhausted. She walked over to them. "Hey, guys why don't you get your stuff out and go to bed?"

They got their sleeping bags and rolled them out onto the floor. Each guy got out their toothbrushes and went to the bathroom. Finally the three of them were all lying down and soon they were asleep. Jenna did her bedtime routine and went to bed as well.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The next day Jenna had to work. The guys did their own thing, touring around the city. They went to the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, and Ellis Island. They also went to a few places in Harlem mostly just to see what it was like. When Jenna was finally done with work she came home to an empty apartment. Evan had called and said they would be back soon. She had invited Flack to come over to have dinner with all of them.

Jenna decided on making roasted chicken with potatoes and other steamed vegetables. She was almost done when there was a knock at the door. She opened the door for her brother and his friends. Evan had a bag in his hand that he handed to her. Jenna pulled out a t-shirt that said "I love NY" on it. She laughed at him.

"Thanks, Goob, you're the best," she told him and kissed his cheek.

"You really have to stop calling me that."

"I can't help it." A while later there was another knock at the door. Jenna asked Evan to get it and he let Flack inside. Flack shook Evan's hand as he walked in, and waved to the other guys. In the kitchen he went over to Jenna and kissed to as a "hello." "Are you hungry?" she asked.

"Starving," he replied.

"It's almost done. Help yourself to a glass of wine or there's beer in the refrigerator." She watched him as he opened the refrigerator and pulled out a beer. She had affection in her eyes as she watched him take a carrot from the cutting board then look at her. She was smiling at him. He was close to her. His kiss was light on her lips but it still contained passion. Their eyes stayed fixed on each other's. Jenna broke the silence. "The guys are watching the Rangers' game if you wanna join them."

"Are you kicking me out of the kitchen?" he asked remaining in close proximity.

She moved her face closer to his. "You're distracting," she replied.

He smiled and shook his head then left the kitchen while she worked more on their meal. She plated the chicken then the vegetables. She took the platters to the table and then went back for the rest of the features of her meal. She took her glass and the bottle of wine to the table as well, and then called the guys to the table.

All the guys commented on how appetizing the meal looked. "Don," Evan started as they began to serve each other. "My sister is the best cook ever, better than mom, better than Caroline."

"I'm so telling them you said that," Jenna spoke up next to him.

"Well, it's true, but you don't have to tell them otherwise they won't cook for me any more." Everyone laughed. "I'm serious. I get my only free meals when I go home; I can't live without those."

Flack laughed and took bites of food. He looked at Jenna. "This is excellent." All the other guys gave their words of praise to her as well.

Jenna took a small bow at the table. "Thank you, thank you."

"So, Matt, Aaron, what are your majors? I know Evan's going to be a high school gym teacher."

"I'm a history major. Mostly world history. It sounds boring I know, but I enhoy it," Aaron, the one who was the shortest of the group with short light brown hair and green eyes, answered first.

Second was Matt, taller than Aaron with blond hair blue eyes. "I'm a computer technology major. I plan to be the next Bill Gates." He made them all laugh with his comment.

"He's the funny one of the group," Jenna leaned over to Flack.

"Ok, so I'm kind of confused. One of you is a physical education major, one is a history major, and one is a computer technology major? And how did you all meet?"

Evan smirked. "Kindergarten."

"The three of you have known each other since kindergarten?" Flack looked confused, or flabbergasted.

"Yeah, we all grew up together," Matt commented.

"That's so cool. I went to an inner city school. I couldn't even tell you who my best friend was in kindergarten let alone _two_ guys from then."

Jenna smiled at him. "That's why they're all my little brothers in my eyes." She looked over at the younger guys. "Remember the tree house in the backyard?"

The guys chuckled at the memory. "Yeah, we spent way too much time in that thing," Aaron responded then looked at Evan. "Is that thing still there?"

"I think so, but it's falling apart. He's probably gonna ask me to help him fix it up for Connor soon since he's getting older. The girls could beat him to it, though and make it their little play house."

For the rest of their meal the conversation between the five of them continued. Flack tried to appeal to the guys and their lives and future careers. He and Jenna had many opportunities since they had known each other to talk each other, now he needed to get to know her family. By the time they were done eating he had learned much about the gentlemen that were at the table around him.

Jenna looked tired and so did Flack. He put his hand on hers as the guys were clearing the table. She looked in his steal blue eyes and let a smile spread across her face. The guys were making a lot of noise in the kitchen. Jenna got up from the table and went around the corner to see what the fuss was. Aaron was throwing suds at the other guys, and they were desperately trying to get suds and defend themselves. Jenna was giggling and shaking her head at the boys. Flack came up behind her and peeked around her at the chaos going on in front of them.

"You guys seriously, how old are you?" Jenna was saying and laughing.

The guys stopped and looked over at her. They looked at each other then back at her. They started closer to her.

"What are you doing? Get back," Jenna was trying to back up but got pulled by Evan and pushed by Flack into the kitchen. The guys smothered her hair with soap suds. Flack was laughing at the happenings in front of him. Jenna took a handful of suds in her hand and started toward him. She threw them at him then rubbed them down his shirt. "Teach you to laugh at me." This crazy activity went on for a good ten minutes before they all fell to the floor, laughing almost hysterically at themselves. Their clothes were wet, and their hair was disheveled. Jenna laid her head on Flack's shoulder and sighed. "Who's gonna clean this up?" she asked.

Evan looked over at Aaron and smiled. "Aaron, Matt and I voted and you lost," he said and got up from the floor and he and Matt ran out of the room.

Jenna giggled at the boys. "Hey, hey guys get back here. All of you clean it up." She got up from the floor and offered her hand to Flack and helped him up as well. The two of them left the room and headed down the hallway to her room.

Flack took off his shirt and revealed even a wet wife beater tank. He had a smile on his face as he shook his head. Jenna had shut the door and began to take off her wet shirt as well. "We should have soapsuds wars more often."

She shook her head at him. "You're crazy."

He walked over to her and put his arms around her waist from behind. He kissed her shoulders and neck. She turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck and let her lips meet his. "You know, we can't have sex with my brother and his friends here."

"Then, can we make them leave? Or go to my place?"

She bit her lip. "I can't. He's only here for a little while, I gotta spend some time with him," she kissed him again. "I'm sorry."

He put his forehead against hers. "It's ok," he paused. "My pants are wet, though, so I'm gonna have to take them off."

"I'm gonna change and go help clean up the kitchen." She pulled away and finished undressing. She put on a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt and left the room.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Jenna sat in the DNA lab, looking at a result in front of her. She was reading, but not taking in anything she was reading; she was completely distracted. Her time with her brother had been ideal. She had been able to talk to him more than she had in a long time. They had spent time shopping for his Christmas presents for their mom, step-mom, and sister. Jenna was starting to realize that her brother, who had seemed like such a twit to her her whole life, was finally becoming the man she had always hoped he would grow up to be. He had said the same thing to her; she finally had a job she really loved and a man who was treating her like the great woman that he knew she was. Evan and the rest of their family was starting to worry about Jenna. Their older brother had gotten married when he was twenty-two and their sister when she was nineteen. Jenna had dated and never found the guy who could treat her like she deserved. Evan was glad that it was Flack who had pursued Jenna and not the other way around; it had always been her to do the chasing in the past and she had chosen the wrong guys. The other guys had received no approval from her family but Flack was different; Evan could see nothing but good in him and the love he had for Jenna, which was what mattered to him.

Jenna could hear someone saying her name. "What?" she asked popping her head up from where she had been resting it on her hand.

"Are you going to stare a hole into that report?" Lindsay inquired with a smile.

"Sorry, I'm just distracted today." Jenna handed the report to Lindsay. "Your sample got a hit in CODIS, and it's the same as the sample you gave me from the bottle you found."

"Well, that's great thank you." Lindsay closed the folder and sat down next to the other woman. "So, tell me; why are you so distracted."

Jenna shook her head, looked down then back up at Lindsay. "Nothing, but everything. I was just thinking about how my baby brother has turned out to be such a great man." She thought for a second then continued. "Has your family ever worried about the fact that you're not married?"

"Not really," Lindsay looked confused.

Jenna smirked. "My brother got married young, and so did my sister, so ever since I was at a good age to get married my family has…I don't know they just worry that it will never happen for me." Jenna could feel a lump forming in her throat. "My baby brother, of all people, told me he's proud of me for finally finding a guy who can treat me the way I deserved to be treated. I just never thought I would find someone like that." She held up her hand. "I'm not saying that me and Don are going to last forever, but it's…I always dated the losers, you know; the guys who you're with because you're desperate or…I don't even know why anymore."

Lindsay was smiling at her. She could tell the way she talked about Flack that she was in love. "I do know what you're talking about." She put her hand on Jenna's. "Although, I kind of did it the other way around. When I was younger I dated all the guys my parents wanted me to. They thought I was in love and took every relationship so much more serious than I did. Now, I'm with someone who they would definitely have to get to know before they would like him. I could just imagine the comments they would make about Danny. I'm not worried, though, I love Danny and I know that when it comes down to it that would be all the matters to them." Lindsay looked down then back up at Jenna. "To be honest I don't think you're the only one in your relationship who has those issues with your family."

"You think Don has had the same pressure, or should I say encouragement?"

"Yeah, well maybe not the family involvement, but I know he's had issues with girls because of the whole working a crazy schedule and stuff. It's good for him to have someone who understands and can deal with it." Lindsay stood up picking up her folder of results. "I'm happy for both of you; you deserve each other."

Jenna stood up and the hugged Lindsay. "I really appreciate it, Lindsay. I think I needed a talk like this."

Lindsay shrugged. "I do my best."

As Lindsay was leaving the room Jenna saw Flack in the hallway with Danny. She couldn't hear what they were saying to each other, but she could tell it was important by the serious look on her beau's face. She smiled. She enjoyed watching him furrow his brow when he was concentrating, which was what he was doing as he listened to Danny. Jenna was tempted to walk to them but resisted; she felt she was better off talking to either of them when they weren't entrenched in an important conversation. Jenna turned away then sat back down to get back to work.

Jenna was at the entering the parking garage later that evening; she was digging in her purse as she walked toward her truck.

"You should have them out before you even leave the elevator," she heard and popped her head up. He was leaning against her truck then stood up straight. "And you shouldn't come out here alone."

"I know, safety first," Jenna replied. She kept walking toward him. He had his hands in his pockets as he watched her. "So, Detective Flack, is there something that you want?"

He smiled at her flirtatiously. "No, not really. I just wanted to see you, and maybe see if you had plans for dinner."

Jenna yawned then laughed at herself. "Dinner? Uh, I just planned on eating a bowl of cereal and watching 'Sex and the City' then bed."

"Well," he approached her and put his hand on her arm. "How about we get sandwiches from the deli and watch-"

She put up her hand. "We have to watch 'Sex and the City' that is non-negotiable."

"Ok, fine, we'll watch it while we eat then bed."

She nodded. "Ok, let's get going because I'm fading fast."

He took the keys from her hand and got in the driver's seat as she got in the other front door. He started the truck then leaned back. Jenna looked at him and he met her gaze. "I, uh," he started. "Jenna, I love you."

Jenna wasn't shocked, but she wasn't expecting those words this early into their relationship. She knew so much about him and he about her, but was it time for those three words? "I love you, too," obviously it was.


End file.
